Characters

Doctor Richard Greville

The main character of the novel Running Wild by J.G. Ballard is Doctor Richard Greville. He is a consulting psychiatrist for Scotland Yard. His full job title is Deputy Psychiatric Advisor to the London Metropolitan Police. When he is not working in the field, his office is at the Institute of Psychiatry. 

Greville’s forensic diaries are written in a formal and serious tone, with a great attention to detail. Greville also makes several references to other relevant events, using them to draw conclusions about the present case. One such example is the sensory deprivation experiment, which he connects to the mental state of the Pangbourne children. This highlights his knowledge and experience in the field.

Greville consulted previously on the Hungerford murders. His opinions on this case were unpopular with the police. His superiors see him as “dangerous maverick, overly prone to lateral thinking and liable to come up with one embarrassing discovery after another.” This suggests that the police might feel intimidated by him and only use him when all other resources they have fail to uncover anything of importance. 

Greville realizes that the popularity of the murders in the media make it difficult for him to remain unbiased about them. He lists all the theories in his forensic diary, no matter how improbable. Unlike his superiors at the Home Office, he does not ignore evidence that does not fit his theory. For instance, in the beginning, he finds the theory of the children committing the murders to be “bizarre”. However, after he finds evidence that supports it, he changes his mind and accepts the possibility. This shows that he is honest and open-minded.

Greville is also flexible. After he comes up with an explanation that appears to fit all the facts, he still questions it from time to time. For instance, after he realizes Marion took part in David Miller’s murder, he also comes up with alternative explanations of why she might have dropped the hair dryer in the bath. This shows that he admits the possibility that he can be wrong. 

Greville has good knowledge of human behavior and motivation. He can predict how people behave in ...